| argot |
the vocabulary or jargon characteristic of a specific group or class, especially of criminals. |
| banal |
lacking originality or liveliness; disappointingly ordinary; commonplace; trite. |
| belabor |
to continue excessive efforts on or excessive discussion of. |
| Byzantine |
characterized by complexity and intrigue. |
| conduction |
the transmission or transfer, as of heat, electrical charges, or nervous impulses, through a medium. |
| conversant |
familiar; acquainted; practiced (usually followed by "with" or "in"). |
| garble |
to mix up, distort, or confuse (a message, translation, or the like); cause to be disordered or unintelligible. |
| hagiography |
an admiring and uncritical biography of anyone. |
| lattice |
a flat framework made with strips of wood or other material. The strips cross each other and have open spaces in between. A lattice is often used as a screen on a porch or in a garden. |
| lien |
a legal claim on a piece of property when the current owner is in default on a debt or obligation. |
| obscurantism |
a deliberate lack of clarity or directness of expression, as in certain styles of art or literature. |
| penury |
severe poverty; pennilessness. |
| reconnoiter |
to go through or over (an area) so as to gain information about it, as for military or engineering purposes. |
| reprisal |
injury inflicted in retaliation for injury received, as in war; revenge. |
| stipple |
a method of painting, drawing, or engraving by applying small points, dots, or dabs to a surface. |